DNA on pendant links man to burglary

BEDFORD – Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Detective Micahel Ramos requested a warrant for a Bloomington man accused of breaking into a home on May 30, 2022.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of 53-year-old Michael Blount on a burglary charge.

Michael Blount

According to a probable cause affidavit, on May 30, 2022, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a report of a home being broken into on Leesville Loop.

When police arrived, the female homeowner was unsure if anything had been taken. The woman had not lived in the home for about a year. The woman said she had a couple looking after the home, and they said they saw Blount enter the house.

When the woman arrived on the scene, she noticed the front door was ajar, and a step ladder was on the backside of the house underneath a slightly open window. Police believed that anyone who entered the home did so through the window. Police found a gold crucifix pendant had been left on the ledge to keep the window from shutting. The pendant did not belong to the homeowner.

Police found a flat-screen television sitting on top of a cooler near the front door. The homeowner said the television was in a back bedroom.

On July 10, 2022, Detective Ramos spoke to witnesses who saw Blount and another female at the home. Police also collected DNA from the pendant and sent it to the Indiana State Police lab for testing. On August 8, 2023, the DNA results returned and confirmed it was from Blount. A warrant was requested for Blount’s arrest.